Law Humor

The Week: Profession Feels the Pinch, Politics Gets Pilloried?

Posted on May 22, 2009
With Standard and Poor’s hinting at a possible downgrade for the UK, the bad news continues. Many firms are predicting a fall in revenues and profitability although most results have not yet been forthcoming. And surprisingly enough, more layoffs were announced this week with Addleshaws and Blake Lapthorn looking to make some cost savings...

Giuliani v Duke University - Case Dismissed with Humorous Opinion

Posted on May 22, 2009
The nature of litigation in this country means that our judges are not often presented with such rich material to entertain in their opinions. That’s not to say it is unheard of - some case law does contain seams of humor which lighten the tone...

Free Lawyers

Posted on May 22, 2009
They say the best things in life are free. They also say that it’s always those that can most afford it that seem to get the freebies. This case is no exception - according to the Times businesses are putting pressure on law firms by calling for the services of junior lawyers free [...

Scandal in the City

Posted on May 21, 2009
With the world plunged into financial misery, there’s nothing like a bit of white-collar wickedness to capture the imagination… There have been a couple of scandalous incidents that piqued our interest this week but they’re not quite the same as a bit of home-bred naughtiness...

To access this complete feed in the blog feed reader login or register for free.

DLA Associates Score Reverse in 20% Pay Cut

Posted on May 21, 2009
In a moral victory for downtrodden associates everywhere, DLA Piper has amended its US associate pay cuts after they caused an uproar. The firm originally sought a 20% reduction based on early billable hour reports but it has now decided to cut all associate salaries by 10% instead...

Lawyers? Reputations Exposed to Public Eye

Posted on May 21, 2009
In a worrying turn for individual lawyers, Private Eye has managed to prevent Michael Napier, former President of the Law Society, from using an injunction to stop it publishing details of a complaint against him. Napier’s lawyers failed in their pursuit of an injunction after the Court of Appeal backed an earlier ruling [...

Redundancy Watch: Blake Lapthorn. Addleshaws? 4 Day Week Proposal.

Posted on May 20, 2009
Blake Lapthorn has launched its third redundancy consultation since the start of the downturn. Fee earners, business services staff and secretarial staff are in the firing line with up to 33 positions at risk across the firm’s London and southeast network...

Trump Sues - for being called a millionaire

Posted on May 20, 2009
This might strike many as a little strange given that we are in the throes of a fairly hardcore recession but The Donald as he apparently likes to be called (or Donald Trump as he is known to most non-americans) has sued the author of a book in which three unnamed sources said Trump?s [...

Welcome to Linklaters

Posted on May 20, 2009
This internal propaganda pamphlet welcome memo has been leaked to US legal blog, Above the Law , clearly to aid dealing with those awkward summer associate FAQs… Click here for more of Above the Law ’s very own FAQs for this year’s summer associates (example below)...

Former E&Y Lawyer Guilty of Insider Trading. Other Dodgy Dealings In the Dock?

Posted on May 19, 2009
We’ve seen a bundle of bankers go down for shady dealings in this crisis and one or two lawyers as well; here’s a trio of tales where lawyers have landed in hot water… James Gansman, a lawyer and former Ernst & Young partner in New York, has been found guilty of insider trading after [...

Lawyer Obituary Mistake

Posted on May 19, 2009
A local newspaper mistakenly printed an obituary for the town’s oldest practicing lawyer. He called them immediately and threatened to sue unless they printed a correction. The next day, the following notice appeared, "We regret that the report of Anthony Critchley QC’s death was in error...

Institutional Sexism in Criminal Justice System

Posted on May 19, 2009
A new report published by the Fawcett Society?s Commission on Women and the Criminal Justice System has found widespread discrimination in practices and attitudes towards women across the criminal justice system. The Fawcett Society , founded in 1866, is the UK?s leading campaign for equality between women and men...

Redundancy Watch: Addleshaws, Simmons, Linklaters. Plus DLA Salary Cuts and A&O Closes TC Applications Early.

Posted on May 18, 2009
So it’s blue Monday for the profession… Addleshaw Goddard is the latest firm to have launched a redundancy consultation - 85 staff are at risk. The firm is also implementing a salary freeze until 2010. It is understood that fee earners will not be affected by the redundancies - the cuts will be made [...

Anonymous Assistant: Employment Wars

Posted on May 18, 2009
Continuing the theme from last week’s Anonymous Assistant , Helen Bailey, junior litigation lawyer at CWS (Craven Wiley & Sharpe) looks to further her ‘double agent’ style shenanigans. Be a fly on the wall as she is dragged further into the dilemma of defending a client firm from a sacked employee despite her sympathy [...

Uncommon Common Laws

Posted on May 18, 2009
Tortious interference From Courtoons

The Week: Grey for Law, Dirty for All?

Posted on May 15, 2009
The legal news has been a mixed bag this week but anyone having a bad day can pick up a copy of their favorite daily to remind themselves that it could be a lot worse. As DLA and Baker & McKenzie reach the end of their redundancy programmes, more lawyers enter the anaemic job market...

Vacation Schemes - Summer Student Tips

Posted on May 15, 2009
As the time approaches for the start of summer vacation schemes, the ones that are still going ahead at least, one or two students may be in need of some pointers. Granted these have a distinctly American flavour coming from the font of the Bitter Lawyer’s knowledge pool but they are delivered with the [...

Microsoft Drops Bill Gates Sr?s Law Firm K&L Gates

Posted on May 15, 2009
We know times are hard at the moment but you’d think even ruthless super-geeks would be willing to lookafter their own. Not so - US law firm K&L Gates, Gates as in Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates’ father, William H. Gates Sr, has been dropped as one of Microsoft’s preferred legal providers...

Redundancy Watch: DLA and Baker & McKenzie

Posted on May 14, 2009
DLA has seen 124 jobs go following a consultation it started in February . The redundancies were made up mostly of support staff but included 24 lawyers - the cuts were mainly from the real estate, corporate and finance depatments. Some jobs were saved as it is understood that a number of fee-earning staff [...

Lawyer Classifieds: Secretary Required

Posted on May 14, 2009
The classified ads we’ve posted by lawyers with quite ‘particular’ requirements have proved pretty popular by all accounts. Given the distance most would have to travel, we suspect that is more down to the rather outlandish nature of the ads rather than an interest in following them up (we pass no judgement of course)...

Battle of the Law Schools: Kaplan Signs Exclusive With Manches

Posted on May 14, 2009
The current deluge of exclusive deals between law firms and professional course providers reflects the obvious benefits to both sides. Also, with the recession in full swing, it’s no surprise to see the law schools competing particularly hard to secure their pipelines of future students...

Trainee Troubles: Morgan Cole and Barlow Lyde & Gilbert

Posted on May 13, 2009
Thames Valley law firm, Morgan Cole, has cancelled its summer vacation scheme and is not accepting any applications for training contracts until 2010. According to the Lawyer , although the deadline for vacation schemes was 30 April, the firm will not be considering any application forms that have already been submitted...

Legal Limits: Play With Me Now! Nudging Pedestrians with Vehicles. Smuggling Songbirds - in your pants?

Posted on May 13, 2009
There’s a song about West Virginia but it doesn’t mention anything about this sort of behaviour. Police said an 11 year-old girl forced her 7 year-old sister to play with her by pointing a .38-caliber pisto l at her. The girl also pointed the gun at its owner, the girl’s grandmother, who managed [...

From Trainee To Chairman at Dundas & Wilson

Posted on May 13, 2009
Loyalty to one’s employer isn’t what it used to be (so we’re told); neither is loyalty to ones employees for that matter (consider the carnage over the last few months). So it’s probably fair to say you won’t see this very often… Scots firm, Dundas & Wilson, has just voted former trainee and current senior [...

Promotions Round-Up: Herbies, Barlows and Olswang

Posted on May 12, 2009
A few more trickle into this year’s elusive partnership ranks… Herbert Smith promoted 13 in total with seven in London - Mark Bardell, Jennifer Bell,  Nick Pantlin, Caroline Powell - London, corporate; Robert Hunt, Kirsten Massey - London, litigation and arbitration; Tim Leaver - London, employment; Artjom Buligin - Moscow, finance; Michelle Chan - Hong [...

Solicitors Slate ?Supermarket Law?

Posted on May 12, 2009
The so called ?Tesco law? of the Legal Services Act 2007 aroused a bit of bean-can protesting outside the High Court yesterday. Solicitors were protesting over their concerns that companies such as supermarkets or motoring organisations will now be able to own law firms or employ lawyers and offer legal services [...

Downturn Demons - Women Bullying Women

Posted on May 12, 2009
The downturn in the economy has exacerbated many of the problems faced by working men and women, not least the threat of redundancy and associated stress. Another issue that already exists in many working environments is also thought to be getting worse as the pressure mounts - bullying...

Redundancy Watch: Shoosmiths. Plus Cost Cutting at McGrigors

Posted on May 11, 2009
Shoosmiths has launched a redundancy consultation putting 69 employees in the firing line. Up to 25 lawyers are likely to be affected along with 44 support staff. The cuts will be made firmwide across all practice groups but the residential conveyancing unit will avoid further cuts in this round, having felt the swing of [...

It?s a Tough Legal Market But?

Posted on May 11, 2009
The scarcity of jobs in the legal sector is not really a revelation; just how difficult it has got to stay afloat in some places might be though. Before unemployed lawyers think of pimping themselves out as a temporary liquidity measure, consider this cautionary tale… Lawyer and MBA graduate, Nina C...

Courtoons: Summer Students

Posted on May 11, 2009
If they haven’t cancelled them, firms will soon be looking forward to Summer vacation schemes and all that they entail… From Courtoons

Bloggers, promote your law blog by nominating your blog for inclusion in USLaw.com's Law Blog Directory and RSS Reader. Benefits described.